Elevator for roofing material



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 22, 1958 Johannes Demufh INVENTOR.

March 21, 1961 J. DEMUTH ELEVATOR FOR ROOFING MATERIAL 2 Sheets$heet 2 Filed Aug. 22, 1958 Johannes Demufh 1N VENTOR Q mfit Q m a R E m m v JmN m mm J MM: m m 1 "m mmw R Q R m \m m R I mv m km k I i m? i mm .R R m n & Z v Mm Mm 4 j Patented ltliarrzl 1961 ELEVATOR non noonnvo MATERIAL Johannes Demuth, 43 Foley Road, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Filed Aug. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 756,697

* Claims. (Cl. 182-214) This invention relates to improvements in elevators for coveying roofing material, and the like, from the ground to a roof.

The primary object of the invention is to provide means for attachment of a straight ladder for elevating material along the ladder from the ground to a roof to save time -and labor in roofing operations and to utilize a ladder as a major part of the elevator whereby to reduce the cost of the elevator.

Another object is to provide in conjunction with the foregoing, means for the above purposes which is readily attachable to a ladder without alteration in the ladder and is detachable easily and quickly so that the ladder may be put to its usual use.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the improved elevator positioned for use in elevating roofing material to a roof;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in front elevation, part being in section, of the upper head end of a ladder and a head unit attached thereto;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in front elevation, partly in section, of a foot end of the ladder and a foot unit attached thereto;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective view of part of means for supporting the conveyor on a roof.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, according to this invention, a conventional straight ladder 1 is provided with head and foot end units 3, 5, on the head and foot ends thereof for supporting a material elevating chain conveyor 7.

The head unit 3 comprism a pair of opposite, laterally spaced metal sleeves 9 of rectangular cross section detachably fitting over the upper ends 11 of the side rails of the ladder above the highest of the rungs 13 at the head end of the ladder, and which are longitudinally slidable onto and off said ends 11. The sleeves 9 are connected in parallel relation by diagonal crossed rods 15 and are provided with closed upper ends 17.

A pair of helical tension springs 19 in the sleeves 9 are interposed between the ends 17 of said sleeves and the ends 11 of the side rails 10, for a purpose presently seen.

A pair of bearing housings 21 are welded, as at 23, on the upper ends 17 of the sleeves 9. An idler cross shaft 25 with a central sprocket wheel 27 fixed, as at 28, thereon extends horizontally through the housings 21 with reduced ends 29 journalled in ball bearing assemblies 31 recessed into the outer sides of the housings and which 7 through a well 33 for lubrication packing in each housing 21 in the rear of the bearing assembly 31 in the housing. 7 v

The footunit 5 comprises a pair of laterally spaced, metal sleeves 35, like the sleeves 9, slidably fitting over the lower ends of the side rails 10 at the foot of the ladder, but having closed lower ends 39 on which the lower ends 37 of said rails 10 rest. The sleeves 25 are cross connected'by crossed diagonal rods 41, like the rods 15, and are provided on the lower ends 39 thereof with a pair of bearing housings 43 with a pair of bearing assemblies 47 and packing wells 49 therein all as described with reference to the head unit 3.

A driven conveyor cross shaft 51 with a sprocket wheel 53 fixed thereon, as at 55, extends through and is journalled in the bearing assemblies 47 like the idler shaft 25 with the sprocket wheel 53 coplanar with the sprocket wheel 27 and with the exception that one reduced end 57 of the driven shaft 51 is extended outwardly of one,

side of the ladder 1. g

The foot unit 5 also includes a power drive for the shaft 51 comprising a suitable internal combustion engine 59, the crankshaft 61 of which is coupled, as at 63, to the extended end 57 of said shaft 51. 'The engine 59 may be bolted, as at 65 to a shelf 67 suitably fixed to one sleeve 35.

An endless link chain 67 is trained around the sprocket wheels 27, 53 and over and under the ladder rungs l3 and is provided with angle bar cross flights 69 suitably fixed centrally thereon. As will be seen, the sprocket wheels 27, 53 and the chain 67 are centered between the side rails 10 and the ends of the flights 69 ride on top of the side rails 10 of the ladder 1 when the ladder is inclined upwardly from the ground over a roof 71.

Ground engaging means is provided on the foot unit 5 for anchoring the elevator to the ground when inclined upwardly to a roof comprising a pair of sharp pointed ground penetrating side bars 73 extending downwardly from the sleeves 35 and bolted thereto, as at 75, and between which the flights 69 travel.

Supporting means is provided for the head end portion of the conveyor 1 for spacing the conveyor above the roof 71 so that the flights 69 will clear the roof and which also provides for longitudinal sliding of the conveyor to vary its angle of inclination. This means comprises a pair of channel guides 77 in which the side rails 10- slidably fit below the head unit 3, and which are provided at inner sides 76 thereof with a pair of horizontal, concave rests 79 in which a selected upper rung 13 of the ladder 1 may be seated to prevent the ladder from sliding in the guides 77. The guides 77 are pivotally mounted in elevated position on a supporting frame 80 for swinging about an axis transverse to the conveyor or ladder 1 for a purpose presently apparent.

Frame 80 comprises a pair of side rods 81 at opposite sides of the coveyor extending, in part, longitudinally thereof, and adapted to rest on the roof 71 and provided with upstanding front ends 85. Diagonal crossed braces 85 connect the side rods 61 behind said ends 83. Nut equipped studs 87 on the outer sides 88 of the guides 77 are journalled horizontally in the upper ends 83 of said rods 88 to pivotally mount said guides 77 to compensate for diiferent angles of inclination of the elevator.

The side rods 81 extend forwardly from hinges 89 on the rear ends thereof and which are adapted to be bolted, as at 91 onto the roof 71 whereby the frame 80 is swingable or tiltable' for propping in a desired upswung position to vary the spacing of the conveyor above the roof 71 and incidentally vary the angle of inclination of the conveyor.

The operation of the described invention will be readily understood. The head and foot units 3, are slipped or slid onto the upper and lower ends 11, 37 of the side rails at the head and foot ends of the conveyor or the ladder 1. With the head unit 3 manually slid inwardly of the ladder 1 against the tension of the springs 19, the link chain 67 with the flights 69 thereon, is trained around the sprocket wheels 27, 53 and connected together at its ends (not shown). When the head unit 3 is released, the springs '19 will slide the head unit 3 outwardly of the ladder 1 to tighten said chain. Thus, as will be clear, the head and foot units 3, 5 together with the chain 67 and the sprocket wheels, are assembled with the ladder 1 to provide a conveyor in which a ladder is one of the essential components.

The frame 80 is then attached to the roof 71 in the desired position thereon. The conveyor is then stood on the ground with the side bars 73 of the foot unit 5 forced into the ground and said conveyor is tilted into an inclined upwardly and forwardly slanted position over the roof 71 with the side rails 10 entered in the guides 77, and a selected upper rung 13 seated in the rests 79 to determine the slant or inclination of the conveyor upwardly over roofs 71 of different heights. In this connection, the slant or inclination of the conveyor may be varied by lifting or lowering it longitudinally to Withdraw a rung 13 out of the rest '79 and slide and tilt the conveyor into a desired position with the side rails 10 sliding in the guides 7 and another rung 13 seated in the rest 79. 'Optiionally, the frame 80 may be tilted upwardly and propped in any desired manner to vary the slant or inclination of the conveyor.

With'the engine 59 running, and the conveyor positioned at the desired slant or inclination upwardly over the roof 71, rolls of roofing material, not shown, may be placed on the chain 67 crosswise thereof to be carried by the flights 69 upwardly along the sleeves 35, the ladder 1 and the sleeves 9 to the roof 71. The manner in which the foot and head units 3, 5 may be detached from the ladder 1 for use of the ladder, as such, will be readily understood without explanation.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. Means for supporting a ladder above a roof over which the ladder is inclined upwardly comprising a frame, a pair of separate channel guides on said frame elevated thereby and for receiving the side rails of a ladder, lateral concave rests on said guides extending outwardly from corresponding sides thereof for seating a rung of a ladder to prevent the side rails of a ladder from sliding in the guides, and hinges on said frame attachable to a roof to anchor the frame to a roof for vertical tilting to vary the angle of inclination of a ladder.

2. The combination of claim 1, said channel guides being pivoted to said frame for swinging about a horizontal axis to compensate for different inclined positions of a ladder.

3. The combination of claim 1, said channel guides being elongated.

4. The combination of claim 1, said channel guides being pivoted to said frame for swinging about a horizontal axis to compensate for different inclined positions of said ladder, said rests being elongated.

5. Means for supporting above a roof the upper end of a ladder of the type having a pair of inclined side stiles with their lower ends resting on the ground and their upper ends overhanging a roof comprising; a frame with a pair of upwardly opening channel guides for receiving said side stiles therein above the roof, means pivotally mounting said channel guides on said frame in elevated position to receive said side stiles in different inclined positions of said stiles, and a pair of laterally outwardly extending concave rests on corresponding sides of said channel guides seating one of the cross rungs therein to prevent said side stiles from sliding in said channel guides.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Australia July 16, 1952 

